Wireless Emergency Call (eCall) Devices and eCall Service Subscription Management

ABSTRACT

We disclose a new type of wireless telecommunications subscription service and related methods. In some embodiments, the new subscription service may be used by an eCall only MS, or by any other suitable wireless access device (NAD), in order to operate in a restricted access and mobility management (RAMM) mode ( 304 ). The RAMM service limits usage of network resources, while enabling utilization for certain limited kinds of calls. The service may be used for eCall, in the case of motor vehicles ( FIG. 1 ), for example, or for machine to machine communications and remote alarms ( FIG. 6 ). The new subscription service may be used to avoid an eCall only MS being denied access to a network due to non-use of a prepaid (USIM) subscription ( 314 ).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 13/554,738 filedJul. 20, 2012 which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional applicationNo. 61/509,834 filed Jul. 20, 2011 and each of which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention pertains to digital wireless telecommunications and, morespecifically, to systems, networks, equipment and methods that may beused in various combinations to controllably limit mobile equipmentaccess to and utilization of network resources, while still providingappropriate emergency services.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An “eCall” is an emergency voice call, to a Public Safety AnsweringPoint (PSAP) or other authorized emergency call center, sometimessupplemented with accident or incident related data. One set of eCalldata may include a vehicle's identity, geographic location, direction oftravel, and other information that can be used by the emergency servicesto locate the victim of an accident or crash, and thus save more livesand minimize the severity of injuries through early medical interventionor other assistance.

An eCall wireless network access device, referred to in the ETSI and3GPP specifications as an eCall capable MS (mobile station) or UE (userequipment), may be designed and configured to access both eCall andnon-emergency voice and data services. Alternatively, an MS may beconfigured for “eCall only” emergency calls. “eCall only” in thiscontext also permits certain test calls and reconfiguration call access,as further explained below.

In this document, the term “vehicle” will be used to include, but is notlimited to, motor driven vehicles. For example, a vehicle may be abicycle. Further, “motor driven” includes but is not limited to internalcombustion engines, diesel engines, electric vehicles, hybrid electric,and any other source of locomotion existing or later invented. Someacronyms used herein are defined as follows:

IVS data modem—The eCall data modem located in the IVS used to transmitthe MSD information to the PSAP and receive feedback from the PSAP.

PLMN—Public Land Mobile Network

HLR—Home Location Register

MM—Mobility Management

MSD—Minimum Set of Data to be sent from the IVS to the PSAP. Thisincludes the location information of the vehicle, direction of travel,number of passengers with fastened seat belts, vehicle information, andother information deemed relevant for the emergency service agencies.

PSAP—Public-Safety Answering Point.

PSAP data modem—An eCall data modem located in the PSAP used to receiveMSD information from the IVS data transmitter and transmit feedback tothe IVS.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is notintended to identify key/critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to presentsome concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to themore detailed description that is presented later.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for use in adigital wireless telecommunications network that includes, for a givensubscriber, indicating in the corresponding HLR record a subscription toa novel restricted access and mobility management (“RAMM”) subscriptionservice. The RAMM subscription service may be associated with a networkaccess device (NAD) or other mobile station (MS) of a motor vehicle.

In one design, for a subscriber having a current subscription to theRAMM subscription service, the method includes maintaining at least thecorresponding subscriber profile information held in the home locationregister HLR until the occurrence of a predetermined trigger event. Thisavoids denial of service, for example, after a period of non-use of aprepaid subscription. Acceptable triggers to purge the record mayinclude notification of end of life of the associated motor vehicle, orderegistration of the network access device (MS) of the motor vehicle.

In another aspect, the restricted access and mobility management(“RAMM”) subscription service may be utilized for communications betweenmachines, for example to implement remote management, alarm systems,etc.

Additional aspects and advantages of this invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, whichproceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified functional diagram illustrating a motor vehiclewith wireless access to a wireless network implementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of portions of a network on board a motorvehicle in which an embedded mobile wireless access device is coupled tothe network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a user's mobile wireless deviceoperatively coupled to a motor vehicle by means of a cable or ashort-range non-contact link.

FIG. 4 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating one example of arestricted access and mobility management (“RAMM”) subscription serviceimplementation.

FIG. 5 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating one example ofoperation of an MS consistent with the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram illustrating utilization of arestricted access and mobility management (“RAMM”) subscription serviceconsistent with the present disclosure to protect a home or business, orto interact with commercial or industrial equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a simplified functional diagram illustrating a wirelessnetwork implementation 100. In the drawing, a motor vehicle 102 has anon-board network access device (NAD) to communicate via a radio accessnetwork 110. The vehicle may also include an in-vehicle system (IVS),not shown, to provide a variety of functionality including, for example,crash detection. Further, the IVS may communicate with a remote entityvia the NAD. The network, for example comprising base stations (notshown) is coupled to a mobile switching center MSC. The MSC includes avisitor location register VLR, details of which are known. This MSCserves a “visited network” relative to the area labeled “home network”below. The home network includes a Home Location Register (HLR) 120.

The home location register (HLR) in general is a central database thatcontains details of each mobile phone subscriber that is authorized touse the core network. There can be several logical, and physical, HLRsper public land mobile network (PLMN), though one international mobilesubscriber identity (IMSI)/MSISDN pair can be associated with only onelogical HLR (which can span several physical nodes) at a time.

The HLRs store details of every SIM/USIM card issued by the mobile phoneoperator. Each SIM has a unique identifier called an IMSI (InternationalMobile Subscriber Identity) which is the primary key to each HLR record.Another important item of data associated with the SIM are the MSISDNs,which are the telephone numbers used by mobile phones to make andreceive calls. The primary MSISDN is the number used for making andreceiving voice calls and SMS, but it is possible for a SIM to haveother secondary MSISDNs associated with it for fax and data calls. EachMSISDN is also a primary key to the HLR record. (Some of the terms andacronyms used herein may vary among different networks, technologies ortechnical specifications. The description is merely illustrative. A goodresource for vocabulary used in wireless specifications is 3GPP TR21.905.)

Referring again to FIG. 1, the MSC 112 may be coupled to a router 114which in turn routes calls to a PSAP 116. The MSC may also route callsto the PSTN. Preferably the PSAP site includes a PSAP data modem (notshown). The modem may comprise an in-band signaling data modem used toreceive MSD information from the IVS data transmitter and transmitfeedback to the IVS.

Referring now to FIG. 2, it illustrates an example of portions of anetwork 200 implemented on board a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle maybe equipped with an on-board or “embedded” wireless network accessdevice or module (NAD), at the time of manufacture or in the aftermarket. The NAD has an interface to the network 200 for communicationswith IVS systems. Other aspects of the vehicle network are indicated byway of illustration and not limitation.

The wireless network access device (NAD), as shown, includes a USIM chipand local memory, much like a smart phone. It also includes an RFtransceiver, antenna, etc. (not shown), again like many “cell phones.”

In some designs, the NAD may be used by the vehicle (or vehicleoperator) for various things, such as voice calls, stolen vehicletracking or recovery, downloading traffic, weather or other information,to summon emergency services, (eCall) etc. In some cases, a vehicle mayhave an embedded NAD that is configured for eCall only service. eCallscan be initiated manually, or triggered automatically, for example by acrash detector system in the IVS, which communicates to the NAD via thebus 200.

The present disclosure is not limited to embedded NADs. For example, auser's “cell phone” or “smart phone” or the like may be used to providewireless network access in a vehicle. Referring now to FIG. 3, anotherexample is shown in which a user's portable mobile wireless device iscoupled to a motor vehicle to interoperate with the vehicle. Forexample, a smart phone may be coupled to a head unit via a cable orshort-range wireless connection such a Bluetooth® connection. In someembodiments, the coupled smartphone may provide network access for anemergency call initiated automatically by the vehicle, for example as aresult of crash detection. Thus we will use NAD in a broad sense, atleast commensurate in scope with any MS (mobile station) or UE (userequipment), embedded in a vehicle, handheld, or otherwise mobile.

An NAD may be designed and configured to access both eCall and othernon-emergency voice and data services. When a device is configured for“eCall only” operation, certain restrictions apply to its operation. Inorder to avoid the generation of large amounts of unnecessary mobilitymanagement signaling in the wireless network, including networkregistration, location updates and network deregistration, certainrestrictions are placed on the operation of eCall ‘only’ configurednetwork access devices. For example, restrictions should be applied inthe case of a vehicle NAD, as long as a vehicle is operating normallyand no state of emergency exists. Current technical specificationsprovide that:

An “eCall only” configured MS thus is not permitted to attempt toregister on a mobile network at anytime except (1) when making an eCall,or (2) when making a call to one of the fixed dialing numbers stored onthe SIM/USIM for the purpose of testing or requesting reconfiguration ofthe eCall capable MS.

While registered on a mobile network, an “eCall only” MS performs normalmobility management signaling. It can receive incoming calls, e.g. acall-back from a PSAP or Emergency Services, and it can make calls, butonly to the fixed dialing numbers stored on the USIM. An “eCall only”configured MS must, following an eCall, test or reconfiguration call,deregister (detach) from the serving network within a specified time,currently 12 hours.

To reduce the network registration and call set-up time, an “eCall only”configured UE may, following power-up, perform a network scan toidentify available mobile networks, without registering on any network.When an “eCall only” configured MS is in MM IDLE mode (powered up butnot having a radio resource (RR) connection to a mobile network), it isreferred to as being in MM IDLE sub-state eCall INACTIVE.

Published technical specifications further explain the sub-state asfollows. “eCall only” mobile station (MS) eCall INACTIVE state and USIMinformation. According to 3GPP TS24.008:

eCALL INACTIVE (Sub-State or Service State)

Valid subscriber data are available, update status is U4, and a cell isselected, which is expected to be able to provide normal service. Onlyemergency services and test/reconfiguration calls [8] can be initiatedby the mobile station. This state is applicable only to an eCall onlymobile station (as determined by information configured in USIM). Thestate is entered by the mobile station in order to avoid MM activity andMM signaling in the absence of an emergency call or test/reconfigurationcall.'

The applicable USIM settings for an eCall only MS are shown in Table 1:

USIM field Contents EF_(UST) Service n°2 Fixed Dialling Numbers (FDN)and Service n°89 eCall Data available EF_(FDN) Display two FDNs, eCallTest Number (nnnnnn) and eCall reconfiguration number (nnnnnn) EF_(EST)Enabled Services Table

The services listed in the User Services Table (EF_(UST)) are selectedand enabled in the Enabled Services Table (EF_(EST)).

Reconfiguration of an eCall Only Mobile Station (MS)

An eCall only MS may be reconfigured to remove network accessrestrictions and permit access to other subscription services undercertain conditions. If an eCall only mobile station (MS) also has thecapability to access other non-emergency services, and if a validsubscription to other services exists, then the MS may be reconfiguredto remove the network and service access restrictions, as follows.

At present an “eCall only” MS may be reconfigured to remove the networkaccess restriction by changing the USIM settings. The settings arechanged from those indicated in Table 1 above to those shown in Table 2below:

USIM field Contents EF_(UST) Service n°4 Service Dialling Numbers (SDN)and Service n°89 eCall Data available EF_(SDN) Display two SDNs, eCallTest Number (nnnnnn) and eCall reconfiguration number (nnnnnn) EF_(EST)Enabled Services Table

When the USIM settings have been reconfigured to those shown in table 2,for example via an HMI (device interface) or via and OTA (over the air)command, the MS may no longer perform the eCall INACTIVE mode proceduresspecified in TS24.008, quoted above. When an eCall only MS isreconfigured in accordance with Table 2, the fixed dialed numbers (FDN)service #2 is deselected and service dialed number (SDN) service #4 isenabled. As shown in both tables 1 and 2, the eCall Data Availableservice # 89 remains selected.

Thus, as currently specified in TS24.008, if service # 2 (FDN) isenabled, the eCall MS will follow the eCall INACTIVE mode procedures, onpower-up and following an eCall, test call or reconfiguration call.Alternatively, if service # 4 (SDN) is enabled then the eCall only MSdoes not follow the eCall INACTIVE procedures, and e.g. the timer values(T3242 and T3243), as specified in TS24.008, are ignored. A problemoccurs, following the reconfiguration of an eCall only MS to permitaccess to other subscription services, when the owner of the mobilestation wants to enable the Fixed Dialed Number service—because the MSmay interpret this as meaning that it should operate in the eCallonly/eCall INACTIVE state prior to and following and calls, aspreviously described.

We propose a new type of wireless service. This new service, which werefer to as restricted access and mobility management (“RAMM”) is a typeof wireless subscription service. (The name is merely for convenience.It is not critical, nor should it be deemed limiting.) RAMM should notbe confused with an identifier of an eCall only mobile station. Rather,the new RAMM subscription service may be used by an eCall only MS, or byany other suitable wireless device, for example, machine to machinedevices and remote alarms, as well as “smart phones,” motor vehicles,and other ME, to operate in a restricted access and mobility managementmode. This new service avoids the limitations of the prior art, providesfor new applications and implementations, including and beyond therequirements of eCall.

In one embodiment, for eCall, the new RAMM subscription service mayrequire an eCall capable MS to conform to the eCall only MS requirementsas specified in 3GPP TS 22.101 and TS 24.008.

Subscription Service Management and Charging For Non-Emergency Calls

At present there exists no subscription service identifier todifferentiate and manage Pre-paid subscription services and pre-paideCall ‘only’ subscription services. A potential problem exists when apre-paid (USIM) subscription is not used for several months (typicallymore than 6 months) and the network operator purges the subscriberrecords and other information from the HLR/HSS and VLR. This could leadto an eCall only MS being denied access to a mobile network because itno longer has a valid subscription, with potentially life threateningconsequence. In an embodiment, the new RAMM subscription service avoidsthat limitation.

Referring now to FIG. 4, this simplified flow diagram illustrates oneimplementation incorporating the RAMM service. A subscriber record isinitialized or updated in the HLR. For example, in the context of newmotor vehicles, a car manufacturer may contract with a mobile carrier tosubscribe for service for a large group of automobiles. This could bedone with a single subscriber (the manufacturer) and a large number ofdistinct service subscriptions under that single subscriber.Alternatively, multiple subscribers could be used, corresponding, forexample, to the car model, country of manufacturer or sale or othercriteria. See block 302. In any event, a corresponding subscription isset up with the appropriate identifier(s) for each vehicle so as to givethe vehicle NAD access to a mobile network, as in FIG. 1.

Here we discuss only a single vehicle for illustration. A RAMM servicesubscription is established for the vehicle, block 304. Certain staticelements of MSD data may be stored, for example the correspondingvehicle VIN. See block 306. This data may be used in some cases topopulate (or pre-populate, meaning prior to a crash) partial MSD. OtherMSD data is acquired at the time of the crash, for example location. Thesubscription (HLR record) may be published to visitor network operationsas appropriate, block 308, as well as published to roaming partnernetworks, block 310.

At this juncture, we assume the subscription is active. In some cases,depending on service settings noted below, a usage monitor timer may beimplemented to limit usage of the network by the corresponding ME,illustrated at block 312. The subscription may have a limited time, orcontract period, for example one year. When that period expires, inaccordance with the present disclosure, it would be helpful to retain,rather than delete, the subscriber information in the record. It wouldbe helpful to ensure that, even after expiration of the subscription,the vehicle NAD continues to have access for emergency eCall serviceonly.

To that end, referring again to FIG. 4, upon expiration of the contractterm, the system determines whether the ME has actually deregistered,decision 316. If so, the subscriber record may be deleted. Further, thesystem tests for vehicle end-of-life. This can be communicated to thenetwork by various means. For example, when a vehicle is taken out ofservice, and the VIN retired, vehicle registration authorities maynotify the carriers, or update a centralized database. In response to anindication of vehicle end-of-life, decision 318, once again thesubscriber record may be deleted, block 319. Further, upon subscriptionexpiration, the system checks whether the subscription had been modifiedso as to allow other services beyond RAMM. If so, the correspondingsubscriber record is retained.

The restricted access and mobility management (“RAMM”) service may becharacterized by, but is not limited to, one or more of the followingfeatures:

The subscriber profile and records held in the mobile network (HLR/HSS)are not deleted until the subscription is cancelled e.g. vehicle end oflife, de-registered, subscription changed to allow unrestricted accessto other subscription services.

The subscriber or a third party service provider may be charged andbilled for periodic test and reconfiguration calls made to anon-emergency number.

The operator determined RAMM subscription service settings can besynchronized between an eCall only MS and the HLR/HSS using standardover the air (OTA) device management procedures.

The mobile network operator can specify the minimum and maximum timethat an eCall only MS, subscribed to the RAMM subscription service, canremain registered on a mobile network.

The RAMM subscription service settings and subscriber details can beprovided to visited network operators and roaming partners.

The RAMM subscription service subscriber information, held by thenetwork operator, can include some of the semi-permanent informationincluded in the Minimum Set of Data (MSD) transmitted from the PSAP fromthe vehicle's eCall system.

The RAMM subscription service when provisioned on the USIM may includedsome semi-permanent information to be included in the Minimum Set ofData (MSD), for example, the vehicle identity number (VIN), make andmodel of vehicle, fuel type, contact MSISDN, subscriber ‘in case ofemergency’ (ICE) details. When an eCall is initiated this informationmay be used to populate the MSD information elements.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a simplified flow diagram illustrates someoperations of an MS consistent with one aspect of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated, during or following an eCall, or a testcall, a copy of the MSD may be stored on the USIM. It may be used forre-transmission or to enable a “remote read” if necessary. Remote readmay be conducted by a PSAP or other authorized entity.

The RAMM (and non-restricted eCall Service) may include the necessarypermissions and provisions to allow eCall related information to beretrieved from the USIM, or stored in the device, and this may includereading the MSD, that may or may not have been transmitted from thevehicle following the initiation of an eCall or test call.

In some embodiments, the RAMM subscription service (and non-restrictedeCall Service) may periodically update the information stored on theUSIM and in the ME. This may include changes to the eCall only MSoperating parameters and values, including timer values specified fromtime to time by standards bodies (CEN, ETSI, 3GPP).

The network operator may, where permitted by the terms and conditions ofthe RAMM service (and unrestricted eCall Service), utilize the CardApplication Toolkit functions specified in ETSI TS 102 223 and in otherspecifications including 3GPP TS 31.111 Universal Subscriber IdentityModule (USIM) Application Toolkit (USAT). Such actions may include,where supported by the eCall capable MS, the management of up to 8device timers simultaneously (change timer values, activation,deactivation and reset timers when they are running). The network mayalso request the eCall capable MS to initiate a speech or data call,including a test eCall, to a number or other address stored on the USIM(e.g. as a fixed dialed number) or to another number/address (even ifthe MS has service # 2 (fixed dialed number) enabled.

When the RAMM service is ‘available’ on the USIM, listed in EF_(UST),and enabled in EF_(EST), the eCall only MS preferably operates in theaccordance with the network and service access limitations specified bythe network operator and in accordance with the procedures specified inthe relevant technical specifications.

While the previous descriptions of a RAMM service have been discussed,we also contemplate that similar subscription service features may beapplied to machine to machine, and other wireless devices, where thedevice may not need to remain registered on a mobile network for longperiods, prior to or following a call.

FIG. 6 illustrates some of these other applications, all within thescope and concepts of the present invention. In this drawing, a wirelessnetwork is shown as discussed above. Here, a home or office (or anybuilding or location, park, etc.) has a smoke or fire detector system,intrusion alarm, or any other type of alarm or notification system. Thesystem is coupled to an NAD, which in turn is associated to a RAMMsubscription in the HLR. At first blush, it may seem unnecessary toutilize wireless communications to a fixed physical location. However,land line communications may not be available, or may not be availableat reasonable cost, at the physical location to be protected. further,conventional wireless service is expensive, and unnecessary in thiscontext where the system is on “standby” most of the time. However, inthe event of a fire, intrusion, or other exigency, prompt wirelessaccess is needed. The RAMM service disclose herein may be utilized andconfigured for this type of application.

Referring again to FIG. 6, other applications may include commercial orindustrial equipment, which again may be in a fixed physical location.These too may be coupled to an NAD (now shown) for accessing thewireless network. In other embodiments, the NAD may be portable, andmoved to the location of the equipment, for example a job site, fortemporary use. Trigger events used to initiate a call may include, forexample, moving the equipment, temperature, pressure, or other events orconditions.

In the drawing, the home, office, commercial site, equipment, etcaccesses the wireless network when triggered. The HLR is consulted toroute the call in various ways, depending on subscriber information andservice settings. In one design, the call traverses a router to anemergency notification server. The server location may be manned orautomated. Data such as the trigger condition, time stamp, etc. can besent via an in-band modem to the emergency notification server. Theserver can be configured to place a call to any predetermined contact,for example using a subscriber database query. It may place a call viathe PSTN, to a predetermined “in case of emergency” (ICE) contactnumber, similar to an eCall type of event. The call may traverse awireless network (here the visited network) if necessary to reach theICE ME.

Continuing the summary of selected features and options for a RAMMservice, network access restrictions and mobile management signalingrestrictions may also be included in the subscription service profile(characterization). These may include a restriction on the frequency ofperiodic location updates (possibly none if the device is stationary orstatic).

In some designs, selective access barring and end-of-life management mayalso be facilitated by the use of the ‘restricted’ RAMM service whichmay include and/or make use of the eCall only device identifier.

The mobile network, utilizing the RAMM service, may monitor the timethat a RAMM service subscriber device registers on a network, the startand completion time of eCalls and other calls, and use this informationfor mobility management purposes. See one aspect in 312 in FIG. 4. Thismay include initiating an IMSI detach procedure to deregister an eCallonly MS from the home PLMN or a visited PLMN after a pre-determinedperiod, and/or instructing the eCall only MS to revert to the MM IDLEeCall INACTIVE state, or other state in accordance with the provisionsof the eCall Only Service.

In another aspect, an eCall capable MS performs an IMSI Attach and/orLocation when registering with a serving network. The serving networkmay use this event together with the subscription details stored in theHLR/HSS to increase or decrease the time interval between periodiclocation updates (PLU), and according to the type of call. For example,following an eCall an MS could be instructed to perform a PLU every 10minutes to verify that the MS is still registered on the network.Alternatively the serving network may combine a PLU event with a networkinitiated IMSI Detach to deregister an MS from the network. In this casethe eCall capable MS may or may not be an MS designed for eCall ‘only’operation.

It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changesmay be made to the details of the above-described embodiments withoutdeparting from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope ofthe present invention should, therefore, be determined only by thefollowing claims.

1. A method for use in a digital wireless telecommunications networkcomprising: providing a home location register (HLR) database formaintaining subscriber profile information and respective subscriptioninformation for each subscriber; for a given subscriber, indicating inthe corresponding HLR record a subscription to a restricted access andmobility management (RAMM) subscription service, wherein the RAMMsubscription service is associated with a network access device (NAD);and pursuant to the RAMM subscription service, retaining the subscriberprofile information in the HLR database after the subscription to theRAMM service expires.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the RAMMsubscription service includes an option to charge the subscriber or athird party service provider for periodic test and reconfiguration callsmade to a non-emergency number.
 3. The method of claim 1 furthercomprising retaining the subscriber profile information in the HLR untilthe occurrence of a predetermined trigger event.
 4. The method of claim3 wherein the trigger event comprises notification of end of life of amotor vehicle associated with the NAD.
 5. The method of claim 3 whereinthe trigger event comprises deregistration of the network access device(NAD).
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the RAMM subscription serviceenables emergency calls to an emergency call taker facility until thetrigger event.
 7. A method for use in a digital wirelesstelecommunications network comprising: providing a home locationregister (HLR) database for maintaining subscriber profile informationand respective subscription information for each subscriber; for a givensubscriber, indicating in the corresponding HLR record a subscription toa restricted access and mobility management (RAMM) subscription service,wherein the RAMM subscription service is associated with a networkaccess device (NAD) of a machine; and wherein the stored RAMMsubscription information includes RAMM service settings, and furthercomprising synchronizing the stored RAMM service settings between anRAMM mobile station (MS) and the home location register (HLR) using overthe air (OTA) device management procedures.
 8. The method of claim 7wherein the stored RAMM service settings include specifying a minimumand maximum time that an eCall only mobile station (MS), subscribed tothe RAMM Service, can remain registered on a mobile network.
 9. Themethod of claim 7 and further comprising transmitting the RAMM servicesettings and subscription details to visited network operators androaming partners.
 10. The method of claim 7 wherein the machinecomprises a remote alarm system.
 11. A method for use in a digitalwireless telecommunications network comprising: providing a homelocation register (HLR) database for maintaining subscriber profileinformation and respective subscription information for each subscriber;for a given subscriber, indicating in the corresponding HLR record asubscription to a restricted access and mobility management (RAMM)subscription service, wherein the RAMM subscription service isassociated with a network access device (NAD) of a motor vehicle; andfor the subscriber having a current subscription to the RAMMsubscription service, maintaining at least the corresponding subscriberprofile information held in the home location register HLR until theoccurrence of a predetermined trigger event; wherein the vehicle isequipped with an eCall system comprising an embedded mobile station (MS)operatively coupled to a crash detection system in the vehicle.
 12. Themethod of claim 11 wherein the vehicle eCall system comprises anembedded mobile station (MS), and further comprising provisioning theRAMM Service on a USIM of the embedded mobile station.
 13. The method ofclaim 12 wherein provisioning the RAMM Service on the USIM includesstoring selected information on the USIM for inclusion in a Minimum Setof Data (MSD) for transmission to a PSAP from the motor vehicle's eCallsystem in the event of an emergency.
 14. The method of claim 13 whereinthe selected information includes at least one of the vehicle identitynumber (VIN), make and model of vehicle, fuel type, contact MSISDN, andsubscriber ‘in case of emergency’ (ICE) details.
 15. The method of claim13 and further comprising, during or following an eCall, storing thetransmitted MSD on the USIM for possible re-transmission or a remoteread by the PSAP.
 16. A method for use in a digital wirelesstelecommunications network comprising: providing a home locationregister (HLR) database for maintaining subscriber profile informationand respective subscription information for each subscriber; for a givensubscriber, indicating in the corresponding HLR record a subscription toa restricted access and mobility management (RAMM) subscription service,wherein the RAMM subscription service is associated with a networkaccess device of a machine; and for the subscriber having a currentsubscription to the RAMM subscription service, maintaining at least thecorresponding subscriber profile information held in the home locationregister HLR until the occurrence of a predetermined trigger event;wherein the information stored in the HLR includes identification of themachine and identification of an ICE contact to direct communication inthe event that a call is initiated by an NAD coupled to the machine. 17.The method of claim 16 wherein the trigger event comprises notificationof end of life of the associated machine.